Osborne Clarke announces new Thames Valley Office Head

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Daniel Face

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International legal practice Osborne Clarke has announced that Corporate Partner Rob Hayes will take over from Robert Wood as Head of its Thames Valley Office in Reading, starting 1 May.

Rob joined the firm in January 2021 and oversees mergers, acquisitions, and venture capital transactions in the technology and life sciences sectors. Highlights of his career so far include working with Nexeon on a $200 million investment in the manufacture of battery materials, as well as advising on the sale of tech spinout Lumenisity to Microsoft.

On his new role, Rob said: “I'm delighted to carry on the great work that Robert has done over the past six years and I look forward to leading the Thames Valley Team as we continue to meet our clients’ needs. We're right in the heart of one the UK's leading business communities, with fantastic opportunities on our doorstep and beyond.

“Although we are facing potentially challenging economic times, we do want to continue grow our size and scale of our team and we’re always on the lookout for great talent to help expand our team of sector and transformation specialist lawyers.”

The Thames Valley team at Osborne Clarke has been busy over the past 18 months, advising on 332 deals and projects with an estimated total value of more than £7.34 billion. During this time, they have grown to 92 employees, including 14 partners.

Senior Partner Peter Clough added: “Robert has done a fantastic job of leading the Thames Valley Team over the past six years and has made an extremely valuable contribution to the leadership of the firm as Head of the office.

“We're now looking forward to welcoming Rob in to the role as he leads us into the next chapter of our growth in the Thames Valley.”

Daniel Face

Born and raised in Berkshire, Dan fell into journalism after completing his bachelor’s degree in English at UCL. Writing for The Business Magazine and local Biz News sites has given him the opportunity to chat with all manner of small business owners and share their success stories with a wider audience. Outside of work, Dan enjoys live music, board games and quiz shows, and is making a slow but persistent effort to learn Spanish.